WASHINGTON — A $70 million U.S. Navy fighter jet plunged into the Red Sea after rolling off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman during a towing operation gone wrong, the Navy confirmed Monday. The F/A-18E Super Hornet was being maneuvered through the aircraft carrier’s hangar bay when control was lost, sending the jet and its tow tractor overboard into the sea.
The accident, which occurred amid ongoing deployment operations in one of the world’s most volatile maritime zones, is under investigation. Navy officials said the mishap involved two enlisted crew members—one aboard the jet and another inside the tractor—both of whom escaped moments before the aircraft toppled off the carrier’s deck. One sailor sustained a minor injury.
“The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the Navy said in a statement. “Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”
The incident occurred aboard the USS Harry S. Truman, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that has been operating in the Red Sea since September. Its mission has focused on protecting commercial shipping lanes from persistent missile and drone threats posed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who have repeatedly targeted Western vessels and military assets in the region.
Although the Navy has not officially linked the fighter jet incident to hostile activity, a U.S. defense official told the Associated Press that preliminary field assessments suggest the possibility that sudden ship movement caused by nearby Houthi fire may have contributed to the crew’s loss of control. That theory has not yet been confirmed.
This is the second major incident involving the USS Harry S. Truman in recent months. Earlier this year, the carrier collided with a merchant vessel near the Suez Canal, an event that led to the dismissal of its commanding officer. The ship was originally scheduled to return to its home port last month, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth extended its deployment amid escalating maritime threats and ordered the USS Carl Vinson to the region to reinforce U.S. naval presence.
The loss of the Super Hornet adds to mounting challenges faced by the Navy as it seeks to project power and maintain freedom of navigation in a strategically vital but increasingly dangerous part of the world. The Red Sea has become a flashpoint in regional tensions, with the U.S. Navy frequently intercepting threats and responding to provocations from Iran-backed Houthi forces.
An extensive investigation is expected to determine whether mechanical failure, human error, or external environmental conditions were responsible for the aircraft’s plunge into the sea. Until then, the Navy remains on high alert, continuing its operations to safeguard vital shipping corridors from ongoing regional instability.
